The Hunt
by Katrara
Summary: Simon was never a mage and was never accepted into Watford. Instead he has lived a life as a Vampire Hunter, raised to kill the blood-thirsty undead monsters, but what should happen when he comes across a vampire he's never seen? One who is more than a monster, who is also a powerful magician with a past riddled in horrors and mystery.
1. Sighted

**Simon**

I always hated it when he appeared. Whether announced or not, I was never prepared for it.

"Yes father?" I asked kicking the door to my apartment shut behind me. My one hand was full, carrying my supplies, and the other was covered in blood that I was trying to not smear everywhere.

For a split second dad looked me over, taking in every detail so quickly and precisely you'd think it inhuman. "It's after five. I thought you'd be back in sooner."

"Well I had to go out further than I planned." I answered back, too quickly. Immediately dad is leaning back a bit in his seat, analyzing the quickest way to get the truth out of me. All I want right now is sleep, but by the looks of it I'm not going to be getting any until he's through questioning me. "Look, you didn't come here to make sure I'm getting back at a reasonable hour. So what do you want?"

Always cut back to the original point and goal; he won't let my lie go, but it'll prolong him pressing about it. "News from the Society. There's been movement of a rather large sect of vampires and they want to send a small group to trail them. Find out where they're going and why."

Nodding I take in the information. Vampires are always on the move, they have to be to avoid getting caught, they don't really have homes but instead have a collection of safe locations. It's a secret underground system that even the Society hasn't managed to crack. There's nothing unusual about vampires moving, but a large group of them moving is another story. They look out for each other, I've never heard of any real drama arising between them, but they're solo creatures. Less competition for dinner, and, again, less likely to get caught. If there's a large group moving together then we need to follow them and stop them, because it can't be for anything good.

"Will you be joining this group then?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

Dad nods as he responds, "yes, I thought I'd come let you know. We don't know how long of a mission this will be, so I could be gone a while…" he pauses, giving me a hard look. "You have to handle yourself for a while Simon."

At that last remark I turn, dropping my bag of hunting supplies and make my way to the kitchen sink a few feet away in the apartment to clean my hands. "I think I'll be just fine. I'm not a child anymore, I'm twenty-years-old."

"A child would be able to get the job done at a reasonable time." He bites back immediately. I just scoff, taking a towel and drying my hands off.

"Didn't realize I was on a time schedule. Is that all you needed then?" I just want this conversation to be over so I can go think over what happened tonight in peace.

There's a second where I think dad's going to press and question my earlier lie, but he seems to let it go. He's tired, I can tell by the shadows under his eyes and the slightest slouch in his shoulders, the muscles in his neck twitching occasionally with the effort to hold up his head. Dad's one of the best hunters in the Society, but he's not as young as he used to be, and it looks like he came straight here from a job.

With a nod he silently concedes to let me go for now. "Yes, that's everything." Rising from the kitchen chair he makes his way for the door to leave. "Stay safe out there son."

Even before the door is fully shut I'm turning away, and by the time I hear the door click I'm in the bathroom. Turning the shower to a temperature as hot as I can take I get in, letting the water wash away the sweat and grime. As the dirt washes away and the heat eases the tension from my muscles I let my mind unwind, replaying everything that happened tonight.

 **Basil**

No..That did not happen.. This is not happening. It can't. My mind screams over and over the entire way home.

When my bedroom door is shut and locked behind me I let go, a scream of frustration breaking the silence of the empty house and sink to the floor.

"A hunter...That was an actual vampire hunter." I let the words slide across my lips after a minute. The full weight of my current scenario weighing heavily on my mind.

 **Earlier That Night**

The club was too much for my senses to handle and it was wonderful. The music was loud and there were people everywhere. It made my heightened senses numb after a while and that's what I needed right now. To feel nothing, to be numb to the world for a bit.

My family had left the mansion after I graduated from Watford, wanting to spend some time at the lodge further north. The lodge was away from everything, it was peaceful and isolated away from the world and both my father and Daphne thought it'd be good to get away for a bit with none of the girls in school.

If I'd wanted I'm certain I could have gone with them, but it didn't feel right. They were a proper family and I was the outsider. Of course if I ever said a thing about it they would deny it, insisting that we were a perfectly fine family, but they were always excellent in ignoring my vampirism.

Daphne treated me like her own and was a perfect mother figure, but she wasn't my mother. No, my mother died trying to save me from the vampires. She wasn't successful, I did die that day; becoming one of them. Father grieved, he grieved for a long time, but then he moved on with his life and acted as though his only son wasn't a walking corpse. They both loved me and raised me, but it doesn't stop me from feeling like an outsider, I don't think anything will.

After a week in the mansion, only leaving to hunt in the woods around the house, I needed to get out and go somewhere, anywhere. I'd been to this club before, normally I'm with my cousin, Dev, here. This time I was alone, which was nice since it meant Dev wasn't constantly pointing out different women he found attractive. I'm personally not interested in women.

I'd been at the club for about two hours, it was almost one in the morning when I spotted him. He was gorgeous in my opinion; bronze curls, blue eyes, and tan skin that was dotted in moles and freckles. Like myself, he wasn't dancing but was leaning against a wall across from me. How long he'd been there I had no idea but he was stunning and I couldn't help but stare for a moment.

When his eyes looked over and caught mine I regained control of myself, looking away from him as casually as possible. After another moment I chanced a glance back at him and found him staring directly at me. He was clearly looking me over thoroughly, and I wasn't going to complain. I'd been in isolation for the last week and even before that haven't had any physical contact in ages .

Then he's making his way over to me, working his way smoothly across the dance floor and over to where I'm standing. He's only ten feet away when I feel it. A static in the air that sends pins and needles up my spine, I can barely suppress a shiver at the feel. Another two feet and I catch sight at the source of the irritant: a cross, an old cross, is dangling from the boy's neck.

It's a repellent for monsters like me, I've heard of them but never actually seen or felt one. So far I don't like it, there's still a good yard between us and I can feel a painful migraine forming. Uninterested in getting any closer to the anti-vampire cross I turn, quickly walking away from the beautiful boy and towards the exit.

"Hey!" I hear him shout after me, and I can hear his footsteps now right behind me. The cross is sending all my senses into overdrive, the peaceful numb feeling I'd felt earlier now gone as every noise and every scent was too much suddenly.

I needed to at least get out of there, out of this building and I pick up my pace until I'm outside. The cool quiet air was a blessing, but only for a moment. "Wait up!"

Turning I see the boy standing behind me and he's even more gorgeous under the night sky. Crowley, get a hold of yourself Baz I tell myself. Even if he's stunning he still has that cross on that's burning me from the inside.

"Yes?" I ask the stranger.

"Why'd you run like that?" He asks, and he looks like he's ready to chase me if I try to actually run now that we're outside.

"I can't stand that song, and I've already got a headache." I partially lie. It's true I do have a headache now, but the music had nothing to do with it.

He seems to sense my bluff in the way he shifts his position. "Sorry, it's late, I should be going." I interject before he can reply, starting to walk down the street.

And then his hand is around my wrist and I feel like I'm going to catch on fire and turn to ash. Reflexively I jerk my arm from his grasp, biting my tongue sharply to keep quiet against the shock, the burning sensation I'd felt.

"Just who in the hell do you think you are?!" I shout at him, turning partially to see his face. He's barely a foot away from me and I can't think straight with that cross dangling from his throat, it's a wonder I manage to keep my fangs in my gums right now.

He takes a step back at my piercing glare and I glare him over from head to toe. His hair is a bronze-silver in the moonlight and both his skin and blue eyes seem lighter than they were inside. Black is his color of choice, from the leather jacket to the jeans. And then something catches my eye, something sticking out of the top of his boot, it looks like it's meant to be concealed but I spotted it. From here I can see it's wood, and circular in shape.

Realization hits me like a freight train.

Thats a fucking steak. A wooden. Fucking. Steak.

It's my turn to take a step back and he catches my gazes direction, knows what I saw and his eyes narrow. He looks ready for a fight.

"Son of a-" I run before he can finish. I run as fast as I can, turning the first corner and weaving my way through the streets. At first I hear him following me, his footfalls quick behind me, but I'm faster. I played football all through school and being a vampire only adds to my swift-footedness.

Within five minutes I've lost him and rounded back to find where I parked my car. I have the engine started before the door is even shut all the way and drive as fast as I can.

" **Make way for the King!** " I shout, pulling my wand out to get through traffic faster. Halfway home I stop spelling cars, my magic exhausted and a good distance is now between myself and the stranger.

It's at this point where it fully hits me. That was a vampire hunter, he could have killed me. He was going to kill me.

 **Simon**

It didn't make sense. None of it made sense.

That man was a vampire, there was no questioning it, everything about his appearance screamed it and when I went near him he bolted. I had a feeling it was the cross that set him off at first, and it was normal for vampires to try and avoid me once they felt it's presence, it was the easiest way to spot them really. What wasn't normal was that he ran after he noticed the stake.

Normally a vampire will avoid a hunter at all costs; we tend to interrupt their hunts and kill them. But once confronted, once they see the stake (which I'd tried hiding in my boot), they always fight. Always . It's a game of survival, if we cross paths one of us has to die. We're eternal enemies to each other.

And yet this one didn't fight. He ran. The second he saw his existence was in danger he fled without hesitation. Even in the club, though, he was acting strange, different from a typical vampire.

He didn't seem to be hunting, he wasn't eyeing people up like food or selecting his target. Hell he looked innocent , just leaning against the wall in a relaxed state.

It wasn't normal. None of this was normal. And in this line of work abnormalities were dangerous, exceptionally dangerous. Because if a vampire was acting strange, out of the ordinary, it could only mean one thing: They were plotting something evil.


	2. Game On

**Simon**

I'm going to find him.

I'm going to find him and stop him.

 **Basil**

I stayed inside for three full days, just staring up at my ceiling and letting my mind wander.

 _He's a vampire hunter._

 _Blue eyes._

 _He'll kill me._

 _Bronze Curls._

 _Unless I kill him first._

 _I don't even know him._

 _I can't kill him._

 _I'll never know him._

 _What's wrong with me._

 _Should I let him kill me?_

 _I won't hurt him._

My phone ringing is what finally brought me back to reality. By the time I realized it was ringing though I didn't have enough time to make it across my room to where it sat on my dresser before it kicked into voicemail. Looking at the missed call I saw it was Dev, probably nothing important. Setting the phone back on the dresser I realize just how long I've laid in bed.

I'm _starving_.

My mind goes blank as I rush from the house and out into the surrounding woods. I hunt mindlessly, drain a full deer and five squirrels before coming back to my senses. Blood is dripping from my chin, which hasn't happened in years.

When I go back inside and catch sight of a mirror I want to recoil from myself, if such a thing were possible.

 _I'm a vampire._

It's never been more apparent than in this moment. I've always been careful, feeding without spilling so much as a drop of blood. No one ever knew, no one even suspected a thing in all eight years of Watford. My family never even raised an eyebrow when I came in late at night, I didn't look like I'd just drained the blood from some animal. But right now, right in this moment my face is covered in blood, my fangs are out, and I'm a mess.

As fast as I left the house earlier I move for the shower. Throwing my clothes in a pile and getting in, turning the water temperature to an icey cold. I'm always cold, my body can't hold any heat on its own, but at least when I take frigid showers I can pretend like it's not my fault my skins like ice.

Once I'm out and dressed I go back to my phone that I'd left on my dresser. I needed a distraction from everything right now. Dev left a voicemail. Tapping away at the screen to put my passcode in and access it, putting it on speaker, I set it back to continue drying my hair while it plays.

" _Hey Baz, just Dev here. I was wondering if you wanted to hang-out tomorrow? Haven't seen you in a few weeks, and don't try to tell me that mansion isn't boring and lonely. Call me back when you can."_

Sighing I pick up the phone and ring Dev back, he answers on the fourth ring.

"Baz! How you doin'?" Dev answers cheerfully.

"Daphne called you, didn't she?" I ask, ignoring his question.

I can hear him sigh on the other end. "Yeah, she did. You haven't called them or anything so they're worried. Asked me to check up on you. But seriously. Do you want to hang tomorrow?"

"Well..I'm not sure.." I hesitate in answering, not sure if I can handle leaving the safety of my home right now.

"Hey, come on man. It can't be good for you to lock yourself up in that mansion. We'll have a nice time out on the town tomorrow."

He's right and I know it. I can't hide forever, and the longer I stay here the harder it's going to be.

"Alright."

"Awesome! I'll do the driving even. See you tomorrow then? Six sound good?" I can practically feel his excitement at having persuaded me through the phone. Normally I'm the one persuading him into doing something.

"Yes, yes, six is fine. I'll see you then Dev."

We both hang up after a brief goodbye and I set the phone back down.

 **Simon**

I've been stalking the night non-stop since that night. I wouldn't even accept that he got away from me that first night, staying out until four AM looking for him. All I found that night was a hulking giant of a man who'd had too much to drink. I broke his nose and knocked out some of his teeth. After that incident I gave up and went back to my apartment, hand covered in some random mans blood. It took a bit longer than I anticipated to get home; I'd only recently moved into the area and by the time I got home it was well after five.

Of course my father had to be there, as if I hadn't already had a terrible night. But I wasn't going to tell him about this new vampire I found. He always treated me like an incompetent child, the entire society did, and this was my chance to prove them all wrong. With all our best off tracking some suspiciously large group of vampires it was up to me to deal with this one.

Each night I've been branching out a bit further from the club. A normal vampire would have gotten out of the immediate area as soon as they knew a hunter was around, but this wasn't a normal vampire I was dealing with, so I was going on the assumption that he would stick around for some time. That's how I ended up here, in this quiet little cafe.

It was slightly after eleven when I walked into the place; it was simple and small, hidden among larger chain-stores. There's a small stage at the far side of the cafe, where someone is softly playing guitar and singing some song I don't recognize. The lights in here are dimmed, and it's moderately crowded. It's a cliche vampire setting: quiet, dark, and full of people. I figure this is as good a spot as any to find my mysterious vampire so I choose a seat on the end of the cafe's counter closest to the door.

"Can I get you anything sir?" a waitress asks me a few moments after I've sat down.

"Just a cup of coffee, do you have any scones?" I question.

She nods affirmatively, "we have plain and cherry scones."

"Cherry please." After I give her my order I rotate my chair to face away from the counter and scan the crowd of people slowly. It's difficult to distinguish any features in the places lighting.

 **Basil**

For once Dev was actually considerate when he choose where to go later in the evening. It wasn't a dance club or anything for him to woman-hunt, but a nice little cafe that he knew I fancied. The place was simple and calming; exactly what I needed right now.

We'd been sitting off to the side, near the wall for about an hour just chattering away. Dev was still in contact with a lot of friends from Watford and was filling me in on all of the gossip that had transpired since graduation. Apparently Trixie was having a rough time with her girlfriend, the exchange student from a few years back proposed to Penelope, Agatha was planning to jump the pond, and Niall finally asked a girl out on a date. All of it was silly and trivial things, but it took my mind off of my own life's dilemmas.

It was pushing midnight when Dev finally quieted down, and I started to feel hungry. After the last few days I didn't want to test my hunger. I knew the area, visited this cafe all the time during breaks and as a result I'd hunted down in the sewers below street level. Rats tasted like rats no matter where they lived.

"Hey I think I'm gonna head on out, okay?"

Dev turned his attention from the performance up from to me. "Want me to drive you back?"

I shook my head, getting up from the table and grabbing my coat. "Thanks but I'll just grab a cab." Dev accepted my response, I lived out of the way for him.

I was about halfway to the door when I caught the sharp metallic scent of blood. Looking over in the direction that the smell came from I saw that one of the waitresses had sliced herself with a knife while cutting bread. She was openly crying, another employee already at her side helping with the wound, it wasn't shallow. The scent instantly clouded my head, which hasn't been an issue in years. When the hunger first manifested itself in me when I was twelve I could barely control myself if someone had a papercut, but years of self-control and discipline had made it easier. I could normally handle being around a great deal of blood without batting an eye at this point.

But right now wasn't normal. I'd neglected to feed for three days and then went out and binged on any animal I could grab in the family woods. I was still shaken up from a few nights ago and my emotions weren't in check like normal. And I was so careful to keep them in check for years, not letting a soul in too far.

Covering my mouth with my hand I diverted my eyes to the ground and made a straight line for the door. Getting out of the cafe as fast as possible to recollect myself. "Get a hold of yourself Pitch. This isn't you." I mumbled to myself leaning against the brick of the building.

After a few deep breaths of fresh night air I headed into the alley, lifting the manhole cover and slipping into the sewer. The smell down here was pungent, but I told myself not to complain. That I was a monster that didn't deserve pleasantries.

 **Simon**

Once the waitress brought me my scone and coffee I turned from watching the crowd. It wasn't like I could see anyone anyhow. So instead I tossed the hood of my jacket up and tried to enjoy my coffee. The cherry scone was excellent, I could live off of these babies. I made a mental note to come back here in the future just for them.

I was about to call for the waitress to order another scone when it happened. The woman who had been serving me had been behind the counter slicing a fresh loaf of bread, not paying attention to what she was doing while trying to hold a conversation with another worker, when she accidentally brought the bread knife down straight across the back of her hand.

There was blood everywhere instantly, pouring over and soaking into the bread as she screamed in pain. Her co-worker rushed to her side, wrapping a cloth around her hand to help with the bleeding. From my seat I could see the blood quickly soaking through the cloth as she stumbled into the back to take care of the wound properly.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him then. The vampire from the other night.

He stood frozen, his eyes moving from the bleeding woman to the ground as he covered his mouth. I thought he might have seen me for a second, but he didn't even glance my way as he rushed from the building.

My immediate reaction was to jump up and stop him but I restrained myself. I wanted to keep the advantage, the element of surprise. He didn't know I was following him yet, and I planned to keep it that way. I'd even left my cross at home so that I wouldn't tip him off to my presence if I found him.

After about thirty seconds I got up, leaving some cash on the counter and slipping out the door just in time to see my vampire turn the corner into the alley. Moving as quietly as possible I moved to the edge of the building, looking down into the dark alley to watch his next move. He was wearing a thick blue coat black jeans that looked to be fitted perfectly to his form. They were really nice jeans.

 **Basil**

I'd been in the sewer for barely ten minutes when I realized I wasn't alone and cursed to myself. There was a trail of four rats leading to me. Pulling my wand from my sleeve I pressed myself back into the wall and moved down to where two tunnels crossed paths.

It didn't take long for my pursuer to catch up to where I was hiding, and I found myself holding my breath, trying to not make a noise.

 _The Hunter_ _ **.**_ _Bronze curls. Blue eyes. Tan skin._

I didn't want to hurt him, didn't want to _kill_ him. But if he spotted me he would come after me, we were mortal enemies after all, and then what would I do?

But he didn't notice me, at least not yet. He walked right past through the tunnel, and I could tell he was having trouble seeing. The way he took each step slowly, hesitantly, and he had one arm out with his fingers gently brushing against the stone wall. His other hand was clutched close to his chest, holding something I couldn't see.

 _Is he stupid? Why would he come down here where I obviously have the advantage?_

It didn't make sense, no one who was reared to kill vampires should be dumb enough to follow one down into a pitch black tunnel. I could see just fine down here, but he was as good as blind.

Curiosity carried my feet, silently behind this hunter. Going deeper into the sewer with no plan other than to find out just who he was.


	3. Mage

**Basil**

It became a routine for us after that first night. I trailed the vampire hunter for almost two hours that first night, and I would have continued following him if he hadn't left the sewers from frustration.

I didn't learn much about him that night. It's not like he said anything, trying to be quiet. He wasn't good at being quiet. His footfalls were loud, sometimes even echoing, and he kept one hand on the wall as a guide. I could hear the scrape of skin against stone the entire time and I imagined his fingertips were fairly raw by the end of the night.

He also kept his shoulders tense, his muscles seemed permanently coiled, ready to spring and fight at any given moment. And I could see the faint outline of his clothes that he had muscle, he wouldn't be the easiest to take in a fight.

After that first night I came back to the same manhole cover that the hunter followed me through. I didn't know what I was doing, was I hoping he'd show up again? Did I want to follow him again? What was wrong with me?

But then the manhole cover lifted above me, and I moved out of sight and watched from the shadows as the hunter lowered himself down into the sewers. He pulled something, a lighter, from his pocket and lit it to see his immediate surroundings. When I saw the fire I moved further back, down the tunnels, and left a trail again for him.

 _Let's see just how good you are at tracking._

I let him follow me that second night, for almost three hours. Draining and leaving rat carcasses every now and again to follow. Alternating between silent and audible footsteps for him to follow. He never got too close, I was careful to keep a distance, but the thrill of it all was still there.

 **Simon**

Nothing about this vampire makes sense. Nothing

I've never seen a vampire drink blood from rats, not even as a decoy. And a decoy is the only explanation I can think of that would explain all these rats. He's probably leaving them to throw me off from finding his real victims.

Although who he's hunting down in a sewer is beyond me. In the whole two weeks since I started following him I have not seen another soul down here besides the two of us. And in the last two weeks I am only more confused by this vampire. He eats rats, doesn't seem to be going after people, he doesn't attack me, and something about him just feels _different._

My entire focus down here is on the vampire, and tonight that was a mistake. He'd gone down a different path tonight, wandering further out than normal. I had no idea where we were, I never really knew where we were down here, but the further he went the more disoriented I got in my location. It took me almost four hours to find my apartment the other day when I resurfaced.

Suddenly I feel a hand on my back, grabbing at my jacket and pulling me backwards. Instinctively, I turn and knock the hand off of me and flip open the lighter I always held down here.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" An old and gravely voice demands. It's not the vampire I'd been tracking like I thought. With the light of the small flame I can see it's a homeless man.

He's draped in layers of torn and filthy clothes, he's half bald and what's left of his hair is graying. There's a deranged look in his eyes, I don't think he's sane.

Before I can recover from my shock of having been found by a homeless man and not my vampire he's grabbing at the collar of my jacket and pulling out a knife. "Yah here to steal my treasure yah brat?" Nope. This man is definitely not sane.

I'm reaching for my own knife when I'm stunned again for the second time tonight in the span of less than a minute.

" **Have a Safe Trip!"**

The next thing I know the deranged homeless man that had been holding me was flying backwards, into the dark and out of my small circle of light. Turning back around I see the dim shadow of the vampire turning and running.

I'd recognized that voice, it was definitely him, but just what did he do? Abandoning my attempt at stealth I chase after him as fast as I can with nothing but my lighter to light the path. But he can't get away from me now, not after that. I've never seen a vampire with such abilities, power, _magic_.

"That was magic!" I shout after him, and he instantly picks up his pace. At the first ladder out he swings himself up, climbing out of the sewers as fast as he can. He's not as fast at climbing as he is running and I'm able to catch up a bit, especially when he has to pause to move the manhole cover.

He's halfway out of the sewer when I manage to grab a hold of his ankle. I hear him curse under his breath and look back down at me. "You're not getting away from me tonight" I tell him as threateningly as one can be when they're climbing out of a sewer and trying to hold onto the ladder with one hand while the other holds someone's ankle.

The bastard has the audacity to scoff at me and I'm about to pull him down when he somehow manages to kick me in the shoulder with his other foot. Next thing I know I'm falling down the ladder and back into the sewer while the vampire crawls out of the sewer and runs.

 **Basil**

Fuck.

Fuck.

 _Fuck!_

I might as well dig my own grave after tonight. I should have known better than wandering down new paths so far, but over the last two weeks the rats had started to avoid the normal route I led the hunter along. And when I walked past that homeless man he was asleep, but the hunter's heavy footsteps must have woken him.

When I drew my wand and spelled the homeless man away I thought it was dark enough that the hunter wouldn't be able to see what I did, I don't think he did see, but he knew. He's a hunter, so of course he knows mages exist and he was able to recognize a spell being cast.

If he figures out who I am I'm dead. They'll snap my wand, rip out my fangs, and then probably kill me. That's what they should do, my very existence is a disgrace to the world of mages.

But I didn't know what else to do in the moment. The entire situation was my fault: I lead him down there, I lead him past the homeless man, and when I saw that man pull out a knife all I could think was _No!_

So I saved the vampire hunter … and then I kicked him off a ladder when he grabbed my ankle. As soon as I did it I regretted it, and stayed by the entrance of the sewer for a moment to make sure he got back up and was okay. Once I knew he was fine I ran, figuring out where I was and heading home from there, looking over my shoulder every thirty seconds to make sure no one was following me.

I could go to my father, but he'd have me removed from the country and the vampire hunter killed immediately, and I don't want that. I don't want to kill him. The more that I've seen of him the more I feel that I could never truly harm him. There's my Aunt Fiona, she's a vampire hunter too, but she's out the country following a group of vampires right now. If she were here I could at least figure out who this vampire hunter is. No one outside of my family knows I'm a vampire, so without their help I'm on my own with this predicament.

 **Simon**

I don't even bother going back to my apartment after everything that happened in the sewers, instead I hightail it straight to the only vampire hunter who is still in the area that could possibly help me with this new information: _Ebb_.

She's a mage who joined the Coven. Why she joined is unknown to me, the other hunter's, the older ones, don't like her much. She wasn't raised as one of us, why she joined is a mystery, and she doesn't have a high head count for dead vampires. To the Coven she's suspicious, but I like her.

There's this air about her that she's gone through some rough stuff and that this was the best option for her.

When I barge into her small apartment she is at the stove cooking what smells to be beef and barley soup. "Ebb. I think I found a problem."

Ebb hums in recognition, this isn't the first time I've barged into her apartment without saying hello and dumping my problems in her lap. "Tell me while you help me eat this soup Simon."

"This can't wait Ebb, I found a vampire and I've been following him around," Ebbs grabbing some pot-holders to bring the soup to the table as I talk, nodding her head as I talk. "And then tonight, he used _magic_ and I saw his wand, he has to be a _mage_."

The soups on the floor. The doors locked. The blinds are shut. The lights dim. It's Ebb's magic but it still scares me, she uses it so rarely.

"A vampire mage." It's a statement, not a question.

I nod slowly, keeping my eyes on Ebb. I've never seen her like this. Her happy demeanor is gone and she has this crazed longing look in her eyes. After a long moment of silence Ebb finally talks again. "That's not possible. They snapped his wand."

"Wait you know this vampire mage?"

Ebb nods, the chair by her slides out and she slumps into it. With a wave of her hand the soup that was on the ground is cleaned, back in the pot and on the stove top.

"Nicky … I haven't seen him since I was your age, they ripped out his fangs and snapped his wand, he shouldn't be able to use magic anymore."

"Ebb, you're not making sense. The vampire I found? His name is Nicky?" I ask, needing more information, all the information that Ebb has to offer.

She nods, running a hand through her straw blonde hair, "no one has ever told you why I joined the Coven?" I shake my head, I don't know, no one has ever told me. With a sigh she sits up and leans close to me. Her voice is barely a whisper when she speaks.

"My brother, my twin brother, he crossed over and joined the vampires. His head was full of these crazy ideas of becoming more powerful when we were already the strongest in our generation. When he turned they were on him instantly, they struck him from the book of magic, pulled his fangs, and snapped his wand. He's lucky to be alive.

After he left I was forbidden to talk of him, it was to be as though he never existed. Natasha, the headmistress, gave me a job at Watford. I took care of the goats, it was quiet and peaceful work. Kept me busy, kept me close to the school and the good memories of my brother, and it allowed them to keep an eye on me. They were always worried I'd cross over to join Nicky. Tasha knew I wouldn't, she was a good friend, but working for her eased the others.

But then Tasha was murdered by vampires, and I couldn't stay. I'd lost my brother and now my friend, and my home wasn't safe. So I joined the Coven."

By the time Ebb was done with her story I was speechless. She'd lost so much in her life to the vampires, it only made sense that she would join the Coven. But there was one problem with her story.

"Ebb … the vampire mage I found, I don't think he's your brother."

"What? That's not possible, there's no other mage that would dare cross over after what they did to my brother." She replied defiantly, her voice rising from a whisper now.

I shook my head at her, "this mage, he was my age and his hair is black. He doesn't have a single one of your features. I wouldn't even peg him as a distant cousin."

More silence from Ebb before she finally spoke, "describe him, more, everything you know so far."

"Okay, well, like I said he's about my age, or at least looks it. He's a few inches taller, maybe three? His hair is black, looks silky in texture and comes down to around his shoulders, and he's got this real stereotypical widows peak. Umm, he's pale, like any other vampire. Oh, grey eyes. That's about all I know."

When I'm done describing the mystery vampire Ebb reaches over and grabs my hand, looking me in the eyes with a serious and determined look. "Leave this alone Simon. Don't follow him." And with that she's standing. The conversation is clearly over, and behind me I hear the door open.

I leave without a word, angry now with Ebb for telling me all of this information and sharing with her what I know only to be told to leave it alone. This is my chance to show the Coven I am a competent hunter, I can't let it go.

 _I can't._

 **Ebb**

 _Natasha… Do you know up there? Do you know what your son has become?_

All the reports said that the only casualty was Natasha Pitch, that the children were all unharmed, but they lied. There was one other casualty, Natasha's own son: _Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch_.

His father must have swooped in and taken care of any evidence before anyone could be the wiser. Malcolm always was quick and sharp, partly why a genius like Natasha fell for him.

I need to get in contact with Fiona, let her know that her nephew is in danger of being found out. That _I found out_. But she's off with the other hunters, with _Davy_ , chasing a large group of vampires out of the country. Hopefully Simon will listen and leave it alone until everyone gets back.


End file.
